scholarly journals Parental bereavement – impact of death of neonates and children under 12 years on personhood of parents: a systematic scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prachi Simran Vig ◽  
Jia Yin Lim ◽  
Randal Wei Liang Lee ◽  
Huixin Huang ◽  
Xiu Hui Tan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Losing a child tragically impacts the well-being and functioning of parents. With these effects extending beyond emotional, physical morbidity and compromising self-perceptions, appropriate, longitudinal, timely and personalised support is key to effective care of bereaved parents. However, in the absence of a comprehensive understanding of parental bereavement, effective support of bereaved parents remains suboptimal. To address this gap, we scrutinise prevailing data on the effects of a child’s death, aged 0–12 years, through the lens of the Ring Theory of Personhood (RToP). Methods To study prevailing accounts of bereaved parents following the death of a child, we adopt Krishna’s Systematic Evidence Based Approach (SEBA) to structure our Systematic Scoping Review (SSR in SEBA). Results Three thousand seventy-four abstracts were reviewed, 160 full text articles were evaluated, and 111 articles were included and analysed using thematic and content analysis. Four themes/categories were identified relating to the four rings of the RToP. Findings reveal that static concepts of protective and risk factors for grief are misplaced and that the support of healthcare professionals is key to assisting bereaved parents. Conclusion In the absence of consistent support of bereaved parents, this study highlights the need for effective training of healthcare professionals, beginning with an appreciation that every aspect of an individual parent’s personhood is impacted by the loss of their child. Acknowledging grief as a complex, evolving and personalised process subjected to parental characteristics, settings, context and available support, this SSR in SEBA calls attention to effective nurturing of the relationship between parents and healthcare professionals, and suggests use of the RToP to assess and direct personalised, timely, specific support of parents in evolving conditions. We believe the findings of this review also call for further studies to support healthcare professionals as they journey with bereaved parents.

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis E. Oliver

A review of the clinical and empirical literature suggests that the grief of parents who have lost a child is especially intense, enduring, and taxing on numerous levels. Bereaved parents have been found to suffer multitudinous negative mental and physical health sequelae, as well as secondary losses, The deterioration of the marital relationship may be among these negative outcomes. This review focuses on the effects of a child's death on couple functioning in general, and on specific facets of the marital relationship. Research on variables that may affect the relationship between parental bereavement and marital outcome is explored. Various existing hypotheses for the potentially deleterious impact of a child's death on couples are also reviewed, and a new paradigm for understanding these effects is suggested.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Shum ◽  
Samantha Dockray ◽  
Jennifer McMahon

Introduction: Early adolescence has been defined as a sensitive developmental period for psychological well-being. As children transition into early adolescence, they begin to regulate their emotions independently of their caregivers and they integrate cognitive processes into their emotion regulation. Brain maturation during early adolescence facilitates the emotion regulation strategy of cognitive reappraisal, whereby adolescents develop the ability to change how they think about an emotion-evoking stimulus to then change how they feel in any given moment. The development of cognitive reappraisal has been found to improve psychological well-being among adults. However, there has been a lack of empirical research identifying the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and psychological well-being among early adolescents. As such, there is a need to highlight gaps in knowledge and to identify and summarise the key findings that have examined cognitive reappraisal and psychological well-being during early adolescence.Methods: The current scoping review will adhere to the guidelines of Arksey and O’Malleys’ scoping review methodology (2005). Five research databases (PsychArticles, PsychINFO, EBSCO, ERIC and Education Source) and two unpublished/grey literature databases (NICE-UK and OpenGrey) will be used to identify relevant literature. Two independent reviewers will then screen the identified studies in accordance with pre-specified eligibility criteria and extract data based on evidence source characteristics, and details regarding the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and psychological well-being. The data will then be charted, organised into main findings and presented as a narrative summary.Discussion: The findings from the scoping review will give an overview of the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and psychological well-being among early adolescents and provide future directions to account for gaps in the research. The results will be disseminated through journals, conferences, blogs and podcasts related to adolescent development, adolescent health and emotion regulation.


2019 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2018-001709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Lykke ◽  
Ola Ekholm ◽  
Kjeld Schmiegelow ◽  
Marianne Olsen ◽  
Per Sjøgren

ObjectiveTo investigate bereaved parents’ perception of end-of-life communication with healthcare professionals after losing a child due to life-limiting diagnoses.MethodsA national register identified the causes of death of 951 children aged 0–18 years during the period 2012–2014. A previously described classification of life-limiting diagnoses identified 402 children. A modified version of the self-administered questionnaire 'To Lose a Child' was distributed to the parents of these 402 children, capturing their perceptions of communication with the healthcare professionals throughout the child’s disease trajectory and imminent death.ResultsA total of 193 bereaved parents, representing 38% of the identified children, participated in the study. Overall, 98% of the parents expressed the view that physicians should immediately disclose when curatively intended treatment options were exhausted. Some 79% of parents reported that information about their child’s incurable illness was given in an appropriate manner; however, 42% said that information about the child's imminent death was given too late. Finally, 31% felt deprived of the option to say goodbye to their child in their preferred manner, and 56% said that their child’s death was “a shock”.ConclusionsParents request accurate and timely information. However, a substantial number of the parents surveyed reported that healthcare professionals communicated too late about palliative care and end-of-life issues. Even though healthcare professionals strive to communicate effectively with dying children and their parents, barriers were identified that may hinder even the best of intentions. National guidelines addressing communication issues and improved education of healthcare professionals should form part of any future agenda.


Critical Care ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephana J. Moss ◽  
Karla D. Krewulak ◽  
Henry T. Stelfox ◽  
Sofia B. Ahmed ◽  
Melanie C. Anglin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Restricted visitation policies in acute care settings because of the COVID-19 pandemic have negative consequences. The objective of this scoping review is to identify impacts of restricted visitation policies in acute care settings, and describe perspectives and mitigation approaches among patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Healthstar, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials on January 01/2021, unrestricted, for published primary research records reporting any study design. We included secondary (e.g., reviews) and non-research records (e.g., commentaries), and performed manual searches in web-based resources. We excluded records that did not report primary data. Two reviewers independently abstracted data in duplicate. Results Of 7810 citations, we included 155 records. Sixty-six records (43%) were primary research; 29 (44%) case reports or case series, and 26 (39%) cohort studies; 21 (14%) were literature reviews and 8 (5%) were expert recommendations; 54 (35%) were commentary, editorial, or opinion pieces. Restricted visitation policies impacted coping and daily function (n = 31, 20%) and mental health outcomes (n = 29, 19%) of patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Participants described a need for coping and support (n = 107, 69%), connection and communication (n = 107, 69%), and awareness of state of well-being (n = 101, 65%). Eighty-seven approaches to mitigate impact of restricted visitation were identified, targeting families (n = 61, 70%), patients (n = 51, 59%), and healthcare professionals (n = 40, 46%). Conclusions Patients, families, and healthcare professionals were impacted by restricted visitation polices in acute care settings during COVID-19. The consequences of this approach on patients and families are understudied and warrant evaluation of approaches to mitigate their impact. Future pandemic policy development should include the perspectives of patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Trial registration: The review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020221662) and a protocol peer-reviewed prior to data extraction.


Author(s):  
Llinos Haf Spencer ◽  
Mary Lynch ◽  
Catherine L. Lawrence ◽  
Rhiannon Tudor Edwards

Background: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has set out guidance for promoting physical activity (PA) in the physical environment to promote health and well-being. The aim of this selective scoping review was to investigate the influence of gross income on accessing local green spaces to engage in PA and the associated health benefits. Methods: A scoping review was conducted of international literature to facilitate the clarification of the research question. Findings: 15 papers were critically appraised under two themes: (1) environments and well-being and (2) PA and income/socioeconomic status and impact on the frequency, duration and opportunity to engage in PA. Interpretation: Income is related to differential use of green and blue spaces for PA, due mainly to access issues. People who live in lower socioeconomic areas tend to be more sedentary and there are also gender differences related to PA in built environments. Conclusion: There is an effect of income in using green spaces for PA, but the relationship is non-linear, and there is still a lack of knowledge about what kind of green spaces are best for health benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of accessing green local spaces to engage in physical exercise to improve well-being among the public.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e032070
Author(s):  
Garrett Scott Bullock ◽  
Nirmala K Panagodage-Perera ◽  
Andrew Murray ◽  
Nigel K Arden ◽  
Stephanie R Filbay

IntroductionCricket is a popular sport played by 2.5 billion people of all ages and abilities. However, cricket participation is decreasing in the UK, despite an increased focus of governments on increasing sport participation to enhance public health. Understanding the health benefits and mitigating the health risks of cricket participation may help cricket organisations promote cricket participation while optimising the long-term health of cricket participants. Currently, there is no literature review on the relationship between cricket participation, health and well-being; thus, this relationship remains unclear. Therefore, the aims of this scoping review were (1) to investigate the relationship between cricket participation, health and well-being and (ii) to identify the research gaps related to cricket, health and well-being.Methods and analysisDue to the broad nature of our research question and the large number of health outcomes assessed within the cricket literature and to facilitate identification of research gaps, a scoping review methodology was used. The methodology of this paper was informed by previous scoping review protocols and best practice methodological frameworks. MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Web of Science and PEDro and grey literature sources (Google Scholar, ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN Registry and ProQuest) will be systematically searched. Studies that assess a construct related to health and/or well-being in current and/or former cricketers from all ages and standards of play will be eligible. Two reviewers will independently screen full texts of identified studies for eligibility and will perform data extraction. Results will be presented in tabular and graphical forms and will be reported descriptively.Ethics and disseminationThis research is exempt from ethics approval due to the data being available through published and public available resources. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed sports and exercise medicine journal regardless of positive or negative findings. In addition, results will be disseminated through multiple platforms, including conference presentations and social media using multimedia resources (eg, infographics, animations, videos, podcasts and blogs), to engage stakeholder groups, including cricketers, cricket coaches, sporting bodies, sports medicine professionals and policy makers. There findings will inform clinical decision making, policy changes and future research agendas.


Author(s):  
Martin Mau ◽  
Anders Aaby ◽  
Søren Harnow Klausen ◽  
Kirsten Kaya Roessler

Long-distance walking is an ancient activity practiced across cultures for many reasons, including the improvement of one’s health. It has even been suggested that long-distance walking may be considered a form of psychotherapy. This scoping review examined the relationship between long-distance walking and mental health among adults. Publication trends and definitions were also examined, and the reason why long-distance walking may have therapeutic effects was discussed. Systematic searches in three online databases were performed using a selection of long-distance walking terms. Both quantitative and qualitative studies were included if they examined associations between long-distance walking and mental health in an adult population. Mental health was conceptualized in broad terms, including descriptions of mental states as well as more specific measurements or notions of mental health. A total of 8557 records were screened and 26 studies were included, out of which 15 were quantitative, 9 were qualitative, and 2 were mixed. The findings showed that long-distance walking was positively related to mental health. This was most consistent with regard to emotional distress compared to somewhat inconsistent findings regarding well-being. Therefore, long-distance walking may be more appropriately used to counter some personal or emotional struggle rather than to achieve hedonic pleasure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S530-S530
Author(s):  
Daniele Zaccaria ◽  
Georgia Casanova ◽  
Antonio Guaita

Abstract In the last decade the debate on ageing issues has been powered by the relationship between older people wellbeing, loneliness, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Social Networks Sites (SNSs). A scoping review on social experiment studies, analysing the casual effect of technologies use on older adults’ wellbeing and loneliness, has been realized to support the randomized controlled trial included in “Aging in a Networked Society” project. The study aims to review the social experiments on the relationship between technology-use, older people wellbeing and loneliness, to provide a critical analysis of studies, to underline drivers and barriers in existing literature and to provide recommendations for future study and policy. 133 papers have been selected using interdisciplinary search engines (Scopus, Pubmed, Web of sciences, Google Scholar), taking into account contents and methods used. An in-depth examination of 9 experiences of social experiment have been provided, focused on six dimensions: “aims”, “design”, “sampling”, “intervention”, “findings” and “limitations". The literature show the positive effects of ICT, internet and SNSs use on older people wellbeing and quality of life. Our review underlines how the older people shown interest in ICT use to support their social relations, and how it should become a social driver. The low widespread of experimental studies impacts on the literature evidences. The main limits are related to the recruitment and sampling. Social experiment practices, based on controlled randomized trial, should be widespread to better support the evidences in ageing issue.


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